Switch-tongue.



S. GANTY. -swr'r0n TONGUE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1910.

990,336, Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

Inventor Attorneys V STEPHEN CANTY, OF NEW ALBANY, INDIANA.

SWITCH-TONGUE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

Application filed July 20, 1910. Serial No. 572,911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN OANTY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Albany, in the county of Floyd and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Switch-Tongue, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to switch tongues.

Switch tongues as now generally employed soon wear away at their points to such an extent as to necessitate replacing the entire tongue at frequent intervals in order to prevent danger of accident caused by the flanges of the car wheels moving into improper engagement with the points.

One of the objects of the present inven tion is to provide a switch tongue having a removable point whereby, in the event of wear upon the point the same can be re moved and another substituted therefor, this resulting in a considerable saving as compared with those structures necessitating the discarding of the entire tongue when the point is worn.

Another object is to provide simple and durable means for securely holding the point upon the tongue.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a switch tongue having the present improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line C-D Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of a portion of the point. Fig. 5 is a section on line EF Fig. 1.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 14 designates a switch tongue having a recess 13 in the top of the point thereof and the bottom of this recess has transversely extending dovetail grooves 15 therein adapted to recelve correspondingly shaped tongues 16 extending downwardly from the bottom of the removable point 17. This point is recessed at its butt end as indicated at 18 so as to receive the rounded shoulder 19 formed at the end of the recess 13. The distance between the opposed Walls of each of the grooves 15 is greater than the distance between the beveled faces of the dovetailed against the shoulder 19. After this adjustment has been effected, metal wedges. 20

may be driven into the spaces between the tongues and the walls of the grooves so as to hold the tongues against movement within said gIOOVGS.

In order to prevent lateral displacement of the tongues within the grooves, retaining plates 21 are bolted upon the web portion of the tongue 14 at points directly below the grooves 15 and these plates are also bolted to the tongues 16.

It is of course to be understood that with this construction the points 17 can be readily removed and others substituted should the said points become worn to an undesirable extent.

While the parts have been shown connected together by means of-bolts, it is to be understood rivets may be employed in lieu thereof if desired. When these rivets are utilized it is of course necessary to cut off the heads thereof in order to remove the parts. Also, if preferred, the small ends of the wedges 20 may be upset for the purpose of holding the said wedges against displacement after they have been properly positioned. The plates 21 can be cast integral with the tongues and the point can be brazed thereto as well as riveted.

It is of course to be understood that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the s irit or sacrificing any of the advantages 0 the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. A switch tongue having a point supported throughout its length by the tongue and removable laterally from either side of the tongue.

2. A switch tongue having a recess in the upper portion thereof, and a point supported throughout its length by the tongue and mounted solely within the recess, said point being removable from either side of the tongue.

3. A switch tongue having a recess in the upper portion thereof at one end, a point mounted solely within the recess and removable laterally from either side of the tongue, said point being supported throughthroughout the length of said means, for

holding the point "against lateral di'splacement relative to the tongue.

4. A switch tongue having a recess, a

point remo' vably mounted Within the recess and havinga dovetailed portion, and means engaging said dovetailed ,portion for holding -the ,pointagainst-lateral displacement within the recess.

switch tongue having recess, a detachably mounted in the recess and having a dovetailed portion, and binding members secured upon opposed faces of the tongue and engaging the dovetailediportion.

6. A switch tongue having a recess, a point detachably mounted within the recess and having a dovetailed portion, plates upon Opposite faces of the tongue, and means for clamping said .p-l'ates upon the tongue and the dovetailed portion of the points.

7. A switch tongue having a recess, a point detachahly mounted in the recess and having a dovetailed base, said base bearing upon the tongue, and plates secured to opposite faces of the tongue and engaging the base to hold the point against lateral displacement relative to the tongue.

8..A switch tongue having a recess, a

point 'detachably mounted within the recess and having projecting portions insertib le into the bottom of said recess and removable laterally therefrom, means for holding said projections against lateral 'movement. w R

9. A switch tongue having a recess, a point removably mounted within the recess and having integral vprojections insertible' laterally into the bot-tom of the recess and means eeu P 11 pp i e f so he tongue for holdingsaid projections andthe point. against lateral displacement relative to the tongue i 7 10. A switchtongue having airecess pro- I "CQPiBSOf this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of 'Ia tents,

' Washington, D. G. 

